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PM announces new Cabinet line-up (4th update, corrections)

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced his new administration on Tuesday, trimming his Cabinet from 32 to 27 seats, of which more than half featured new faces.

"I hope they will perform better than before and I believe that with the choice we have made we will be able to fulfil our agenda," he said.

"I would like to tell you that this term we would go into vigorous implementation of our policies and projects. I have heard many times, and read many articles and comments by the people who said Pak Lah (Abdullah) has worked out the policies well but is short on implementation," he told a packed press conference at his office.

Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is one of five ministers in the Prime Minister's Department

Abdullah, who retained his Finance portfolio, scrapped the post of parliamentary secretary.

MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting (former Housing and Local Government Minister) asked not to be reappointed so that he could focus his energies on rebuilding the MCA after its disappointing performance in the election.

Abdullah also merged the Home Affairs and Internal Security ministries, saying that they had many overlapping functions, and named former Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar as its minister.

Former Maybank CEO Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz was also made Minister in the Prime Minister's Department

"I am still surprised with the post although I was sure I will move from the Foreign Ministry," Syed Hamid said.

"I have to learn fast to regain public confidence in security related matters. Judging from the election results, Malaysians expect some things to be done," he said.

In the 12th general election on March 8, the Barisan Nasional saw its two-thirds majority in the 222-seat Parliament pared down to a simple majority, lost control of four states including industrial centres such as Selangor and Penang, and failed to wrest Kelantan back from PAS.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin, formerly Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister, said he was looking forward to the challenges of his new portfolio.

"I know the challenges in this ministry are very big and the expectations of the rakyat are very high, particularly in trying to make Malaysia the centre of excellence for higher education.

"What I know is that the work is going to be very different from the ministry I was heading before, but I will reserve my plans for the ministry until I have been briefed by the ministry staff," said the Pasir Gudang MP.

Khaled took over the portfolio from Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, who is now the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister.

Abdullah also appointed two corporate figures, who will be sworn in as senators later Tuesday, as ministers in the Prime Minister's Department.

Wanita MCA chief Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen is Women, Family and Community Development Minister

They are lawyer Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, the former MP of Kota Baru who was not chosen to contest in the recent general election, and Maybank chief executive officer Datuk Amirsham A. Aziz.

In KOTA KINABALU, Liberal Democratic Party president Datuk Liew Vui Keong described the new Cabinet as a "dedicated team."

Liew, appointed Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister, said the people in the east coast district of Sandakan were very fortunate as they had a Chief Minister, a Deputy Chief Minister and a state cabinet minister representing them with him at the federal level.

Other new deputy ministers from Sabah in Abdullah’s line up are Kalabakan Umno MP Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh who was a deputy chief minister until 1999 when he resigned and Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS) president Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, the Pensiangan MP.